A Skeleton in the Attic

Once upon a time, a little boy named Peter lived all
alone in a big dark house.

He was alone because one day his Mother went shopping for dinner and never came back.

Before she left, she warned Peter to stay away from the attic.

“That attic is full of dirty old skeletons,” she said.

Then she picked up her bag and waved goodbye.

Peter was a good little boy who always obeyed his Mother.

As he sat by the window and waited for her return, he
felt lonely and thought of the skeletons in the attic.

One day, Peter climbed the ladder into the attic.

Peter slowly opened the attic door and saw a dirty old skeleton sprawled in dust on the floor.

The sight of the skeleton frightened Peter, so he sat on
a trunk far away and stared at its grimy bones.

‘Why is this skeleton in my attic?” thought Peter.

“How did it die?”

One day, as if sensing the skeleton’s loneliness, Peter sat
next to it.

Peter told the Skeleton about his Mother, how she had gone to the store to get supper, how it seemed she was gone forever, and how he wanted to go out and play when she returned.

One day Peter reached out and touched the skeleton.

Peter was startled and delighted when the skeleton sat up and thanked him. “Your words gave me a voice and your touch gave me life, ” said the skeleton. “now when you visit, we can talk to each other.”

Peter asked the Skeleton how it died.

“I don’t remember.” The skeleton replied, “For a long time, I didn’t know I was dead.”

“When did you know you had died?” Peter asked.

“When I realized I was alone,” the skeleton replied. “A death without meaning is lonely.”

Peter wanted the skeleton to feel better about death, so he found an old hat for it to wear.

The skeleton chuckled, “Your generosity gives me hope.”

Peter and the skeleton became friends and Peter was happy.

For the rest of that year Peter and the Skeleton sat for talks in the attic and laughed.

One day the Skeleton tripped over a clock and fell very hard and shattered.

When Peter found it, he gathered as many pieces as he could and laid them in a shaft of sunlight; Peter cried and kissed the skeleton’s shattered skull.

The skeleton sighed, “It is the time for me to go back to being a dead skeleton, but your tears give meaning to my death. Thank you, Peter.”

“But I will be alone again.” Peter cried.

“No, my son,” the skeleton replied. “Now you can go out and play.”